Typewriter line indicator



May fi, 1939. MURDQCK 11,757,541

TYPEWRITER LINE INDICATOR .Filed Oct. 27, 1928 INVENTOR BY QJM I ATTDRMEV Patented May 6, 1930- PATENT OFFICE DAVID Munnocx, or BROOKLYN, NEW YORK TYrEwRiTER LINE INDICATOR Application filed October 27, 1928. Serial No. 315,371.

This application relates to line indicating mechanism for use on atypewriter, which also will give a signal when a given point on a page is reached. In the preferred embodi- .5 ment the structure is adapted to be applied to a typewriter without making any" structural changes in the latter.

In the accompanying drawingsfI show an illustrative example of a device embodying my invention. In this drawing, Fig. 1 shows a front view of the device attached to a typewriter; Fig. 2 is a section on line'2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1 with parts in slightly different position; Fig. 4 is a section on line 44 of Fig. 1 and Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section. V

In Figf 1 the numeral 10 represents the usual platen of a typewriter carried on a shaft 12 supported in a bearing 14. Ordinarily, the ends of the shaft 12 are supplied with knobs, either one of which is to be removed for the attachment of my device. The device has a main shaft 16 (see Fig. 5) which is a continuation of the shaft 12 and may be connected to it by the sleeve 18. A bell 20 is mounted in fixed position on the shaft 16 and has preferably a knurled face as shown in Fig. 1 so that this bell may serve for manual movement of the platen in place of the knob that is usually supplied. Pivotally mounted on shaft 16 is a cylinder 22 which carries on its outerperiphery a series of indications cor responding to the line spaces on the type writer or the teeth of the usual ratchet that controls the rotation of the platen (not here illustrated).

As here shown, the cylinder 22 is made in the form pf a dish-shaped portion with a cover plate 24. On the flat face of the dishshaped portion of the cylinder 22 are provided a series of indentations 26, one of these indentations being formed for each line position of the platen. In other words, these indentations correspond with the line markings on the periphery of the cylinder. A spring member 28 is carried by a mounting 30 which is fixed in place on shaft 16 as by the set screw 32. Member 28 is provided with a ridge 34 which is adapted to spring into shown in Fig. 5 to form two bearings for a K pin 42, the end of which is adapted to spring into one of the indentations 26 under the spring tension of member 36. Wrapped around pin 42 is a clapper arm 44. This arm is preferably made of spring metal and is provided with an extension 46 which will ordinarily keep the hammer 48 out of contact with the bell 20. The arm 44 should have enough spring to permit the hammer 48 to strike the bell 20 at an appropriate time as will hereafter be described.

The bell ringing action is dependent upon gravity. With the parts in the position shown in Fig. 4, rotation of shaft 16 in a clockwise direction which will carry with it disk 22 and member 36,will cause the hammer to rotate with the shaft and as this rotation continues, the hammer will swing back away will be reached where the hammer is substantially in equilibrium as shown in Fig. 3. A slight additional rotation will cause the hammer to fall away from shaft 16 and will strike bell 20. It is to be noted that this ringing position bears a fixed angular relation to arm 39 and therefore by moving the arm 39 the position at which the bell will ring relative to a given position of cylinder 22 can be adjusted.

For line counting it is necessary to have an indicating arm which will remain substantially stationary irrespective of movement of shaft 16. In order that my device may be made as a unit and may be attached to the typewriter simply by the sleeve 18, I arrange for this substantially stationary indicator to be held in position by gravity. In the example shown the indicator comprises the member 50 which is simply hung around shaft 16 and is provided with an indicator arm '52 and a counterweight 54 to keep this arm in position. I prefer to so shape member 36 that the bell will be in ringing position when indicat ing point 40 is in line with the end of indicating arm 52.

In operating the device, the paper is inserted in place'ready to start writing. Cylinder 22 is then rotated so that the indicator comes opposite the end of indicating arm 52.

' Each advance of the platen 10 will then be indicated by the marks on the cylinder 22, and inasmuch as an ordinary sheet of paper will be longer than the circumference of the platen, the cylinder 22 preferably bears at least two sets of figures, one indicating the lines of the first rotation and the other indicating the lines of the second rotation. The point at which the bell signal is, to be given is then determined by experiment or other! wise and the indicating point 40 is moved .to a position opposite the line number at which the bell is to ring. This may cause the bell to ring in the middle of the page but the operator can readily see that such ringing does not indicate the end of the page and so disregard not have to be reset.-

It is to be understood that the example given is by way of illustration only, and may be modified in many particulars without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim is v 1. In a device of the type described, a shaft adapted to be attached to the platen shaft of a typewriter as a continuation thereof, an indicating wheel carried by. said shaft and in frictional. engagement therewith, and an indicating point suspended from said shaft and adapted to remain in substantially constant position by the action of gravity.

2. typewriter-line indicator attachment, comprlsmg a shaft, an element on the shaft rotatable with the main roller of a typewriter to make a plurality of rotations according to the length of a sheet of paper, the element being journaled on the shaft for rotation. with respect to the main roller to be reset to a predetermined initial position on beginning a new sheet of paper, the element having 1ndicia to indicate the number of lines still remaining on the paper after a plurality of rotations of the element, and means freely jourthereon to indicate the rotational position off the element and the number of lines available on the paper from the starting point. 3. A typewriter line indicator attachment,

comprising means rotatable with the main roller of a typewriter so as to make a plurality of rotations according to the length ofa sheet of paper, said means being journaled on the shaft for rotation with respect to the main roller to be reset to an initial predetermined 30 position on beginning a new sheet of paper, said means having fixed indicia to indicate 1 after a plurality of rotations the number of lines still available on the paper, and a member freely swingably mounted from the axis of said means, said member having its center of gravity below the axis whereby said member assumes a fixed position with the vertical, 4 said member coacting with the indicia to cause the indicia to indicate the rotational position of said means and the number of lines available on the paper. i l

4. In a device of the type described, a shaft adapted to-be attached to the platen shaft of a typewriter as a continuation thereof, an in- 35 dicating wheel adapted to rotate on said shaft, a series of dents in said Wheel corresponding to the indications on the wheel, a spring member fixed on said shaft adapted to engage said dents to cause said wheel to rotate with said shaft, an indicating pointer adapted to remain in substantially fixed position during rotation of suchshaft, a bell" mounted on said shaft and bell ringing mech anism adapted to be brought into operation by rotation of said shaft, which mechanism is movable relative to said shaft but comprises resilient means to engage said dents,

whereby the same may be held in a desired position relative to the indicating wheel.

5. In a device of the type described, a shaft adapted to be attached to the platen shaft of a typewriter as a continuation thereof, a bell fixed on the shaft, a mounting for a bell hammer carried by the shaft, a bell hammer carried'by said mounting adapted to fall by gravity against the bell at a given position of said mounting, a line indicating disk movable on said shaft and an indication point whereby said hammer mounting may be movedon said shaft, the said bell having 'a* knurled surface whereby it may be used-as a knob for rotating-the platen shaft.

- DAVID MURDOCK. r 

